Mexican ministry to request audit of its OHL Mexico contracts

Redacción de Reuters

2 MIN. DE LECTURA

MEXICO CITY, May 27 (Reuters) - Mexico’s Communications and Transport Ministry said on Tuesday it would ask the Public Administration Ministry (SFP) to audit its contracts with builder OHL Mexico, which has lately become embroiled in a corruption scandal.

Earlier this month, recordings were leaked online in which OHL Mexico officials were heard discussing overcharging for a public works project in the State of Mexico, and a hotel payment for a minister in the State of Mexico government.

The company, a unit of Spain’s OHL, subsequently stated that it did not commit any fraud against the State of Mexico, a populous region surrounding much of Mexico City, and that the voices in the tapes were edited and distorted.

Still, an OHL Mexico official heard in the recordings and the state minister later resigned.

Another alleged recording of OHL Mexico officials was leaked on Tuesday under the same YouTube account name that had posted the earlier tapes, though the company declined to comment on it.

The Mexican transport ministry said it would request the SFP audit on Wednesday in order to “corroborate that the bidding procedures that led to the contracts were carried out in adherence with the law and in accordance with transparency.”

OHL Mexico could not be immediately reached for comment.

Last week, OHL’s headquarters in Spain said its internal investigation did not find any irregularities with the Mexican unit. (Reporting by Joanna Zuckerman Bernstein; Additional reporting by Ana Isabel Martinez; Editing by Dave Graham and Anand Basu)